Circle of Influence vs Circle of Concern
The fact that these are some of the most challenging times for builders in the past 10 years comes as no surprise. We have come through labour shortages, supply line disruptions and Covid lockdowns just to be faced with huge increases in interest rates and a drop in demand. Furthermore, the banks have factored in many of these events into their risk equation and made lending tighter for home buyers, further adding to the uncertainty. And don’t even mention a war in Europe and shipping delays!
The danger is that with all the challenges, frustrations and worries out there you become focused on the big macro issues in the world and loose sight of what you should be focusing on, namely your business and family. A well-known business author, Stephen Covey talked about there being two circles surrounding you. A smaller one around you, which he called your Circle of Influence, and a bigger one outside that one called your Circle of Concern.
Things like a war in Europe, pandemics and interest rates are all things that you may be concerned or worried about but have little or no control over. If too many of these things are in your Circle of Concern and take up too much of your thinking time, the effect is to push in on your Circle of Influence and make it feel smaller. That then causes you to feel you have less and less control in your life and will result in higher levels of anxiety and stress. People who tend to be more “reactive” often put more energy into this circle.
Things that go into your Circle of Influence are those things that you do have control over. This is where people who are more “proactive” tend to put their energies. Often it is how you choose to respond practically to a challenge that provides energy in your Circle of Influence. A few things that could be added to your Circle of Influence include:
- Improving your business knowledge.
- Putting a plan together and taking proactive and continued steps to put that plan into action.
- Changing your production processes if you are leaking margin on projects.
- Improving your staff retention strategies to keep hold of your best people.
- Changing your marketing activities to increase lead flow.
All these actions and others are within your control and by focusing more positive energy here you will be able to expand your Circle of Influence and effectively push out some of the negative worries in your Circle of Concern. The human mind can usually only focus on one thought at a time. You can choose whether that thought is a positive one or a negative one. When you next catch yourself worrying or complaining about an issue you have little direct control over ask yourself, “will worrying about this issue make my situation improve?”. The answer is invariably “NO”. Instead ask yourself “what can I (or we) do to make the best out of this situation and what do we need to change to do that?”.
By focusing on making positive changes at the edge of your Circle of Influence you will make it expand and reduce the negative thoughts in your Circle of Concern. Reach out to me at andy@tradescoach.co.nz if you want help on expanding your Circle of Influence in your business.
NEED HELP?
In an emergency dial 111 if you think they, you, or someone else is at risk of harm.
Go with the person to the nearest hospital emergency department, or phone your local DHB Mental Health Crisis team, or www.mentalhealth.org.nz/get-help/in-crisis/